Dear Editor: Over the years that I have been involved in local issues, both as a community leader and candidate for local office, I have been fortunate to get to know many of our elected officials and other community leaders throughout the city.

In the upcoming runoff for municipal council seats, we have distinct choices before us and I believe you can make the right choices for Jersey City.

I ask that voters re-elect Viola Richardson and Rolando Lavarro to At-Large council positions. We need leaders on our city council who know and understand how local government works. They both bring institutional knowledge to effectively bridge the gap to our new City Council and are staunch fighters for social justice.

I also ask voters to elect Richard Boggiano in Ward C and Michael Yun in Ward D to the City Council. They are both long time advocates for their respective communities who have served day in and day out for years championing the needs of local residents.

At times I have agreed with the above-recommended candidates, others times disagreed, but at all times, they have always done what they believed was the right thing to do – separate from politics and other outside influences.